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IQAAG LINDSLEY, 0F PAWTUGKET, .RHODE ISLAND.

Letters Patent No. 76,783, dated April lll, 1868.

IMPROVEMENT IN WOVEN FABRIC FOR FLOOR-MATTING, die.

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TO ALL WHOM IT MAY CONCERLT:

Be it known that I, ISAAC LISDSLELAOI Pawtucket, in the county of Providence, and State of Rhode Island, have invented a new and improved Woven Fabric 'for Carpeting and .similar purposes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description of thc saine. reference being had to the accompanying drawings,

making part of this specification, in which- Figure Ircprescnts my improved fabric in plain weaving. Figure 2 represents asiinilar fabric produced byy another kind of weaving that is well adapted to the purposes for which it is designed. l I

Figure 3 represents ai'abric produced by yet another kind of weaving, and finished by pressino. Similar letters indicate corresponding parts in all the figures. My`inventioii consists of a woven fabric, of which' the weft is of straws of rye, oats, or other cereals, suitably prepared and interwoven with a continuous warp ot' ax or hemp yarns, threads, or twine-s, in such a manner' as'to place the straw or weft upon the exterior of the fabric, and the-warps within, between the two surfaces oi' straw.

My invention also consists in the mode of securing the ends of the weft described in la selvedge at each edge of the fabric, by means of one or more rows or courses oi' machinestitching near to and at suitable distances asunder at the edges. i Y v The straw of rye, wheat, oats, and other cereals,- has upon its lexterior a hard enamel, which affords greater resistance to wear than the rushes or grass now used in imported India matting, and this fstraw is produced so extensively in this country for the sake 0j' the grain-'product as to abrd almost an unlimited supply,'at a cost which is quiteiinsigniticant compared to its value, if some means be employed to utilize the same inan article 4et' manufacture for which there is constant demand. With this object in View, I have essaycd to make this material useful as the weft ot matting or carpeting for household purposes, and have succeeded, by combining the same,in weaving, with aavaip of Ilaxor hemp threads or twines, in producing a fabric for this purpose which is very much cheaper, and, owing to the peculiar nature of the straw weft, is far more durable and lasting than the imported India matting, and can be produced in the same widths as the latter, viz, three quarters, four quarters, and five quarters Wide, and in e. great variety of texturesl and colors. I

To enable others skilled in the art to make and'usc my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried the same into ctl'ect.

The straws I first assort into lots of equal length, and with the heads Itogether. I then remove all the heads and shivcs or leaves from the stalk, by drawing the same over one or 'more knives or blades -in direction from the heads to the buttsof the straw. I then mingle two equal lots of equal lengths', with theirends reversed,

that is, the head ends mingled with an equal number-'ot` butt ends, -so that in weaving the quantity as combined,

the larger butt ends shall not take up an excess ot warp on one side ot the fabric', and make the Weaving onesided, and at an angle with the warps.

The Warps I prepare of coarse threads ortwines, of the cheaper quality of wrappingtwine, of flax', or hemp, cotton being more expensive, and beam thcsame in the usual way. This beam is then-placed in a loom of suitable width, and furnished with suitable mountings of harnessesaud harness-gear for operating the Warpsl by distinct and separate sets, s o as to,form'orershotsof the weft upon both sides ,of the warp, and thereby con ceal the warp between the successive shoots of weft, and' at the same'time economize the warp'by using a.'

fewer number of warp-threads. At cach edge I employ a greater number of warp-threads, and operate the same by separate sets of hcddles, so as to produce plain weaving at each, andthereby forma selvedge of closer texture for the purpose of binding the ends of the weft firmly together at the edges, and makuigethe fabric more firm in consequence. This arrangement of the warps is shown in Jfigs. 2 and 3 of the drawings. In iig.

2, a a a a are the four-selvedge-warps, and e e,ff, g g arepairs of body-warps. The weft is interwoven at the sclvedge in plain weaving, over and under, and the overshots of weft extend over the inner selvedge-warps,'and

the adjoining one of the pair of bodywarps,vand over the adjoining warps of each two pairs, so that when the weft is beaten up in the usual manner, the weftis upon the outside of the fabric, and the warps are concealed and ptotectedzwithin upon both sides. In iig. 3, seven selvedge-warps, d d LZ 0l d d d, are employed, and single Warps n n nn, 85e., at regular and equal distances,'of about three-fourths or one inch asun'der, are employed in tbe body of the fabric, thc 'overshots of weft extending over two, and under one of the body-war`ps, whichz when beaten up, conceal the warps-between the weft upon each side. Y

After the fabric is woven, it is .moistened by steaming it or otherwise, and afterwards pressedA between sheets of stiil` paper or card-board, or between hea-ted metal surfaces, which gives a smooth, even surface and inish to the fabric. When the body of the fabric is woven plain, (over andunr'dcrg) as shown in tig. 1, and without selvedge, the weft may be confined and secured together by stitching one, two, or more rows or courses, B B, next to the edge, by means of a sewing-machine, which will make the fabric iirrn,and not liable to vseparate at the edges. Even in case the fabric is woven with a selvedge, as shown in figs. 2 and 3, it is of advantage to confine the extreme end of the weft by'one or more courses of machine-stitchingfB In preparing thc weft, and just before it is placed in the warp, it should be moistened by sprinkling it with water,`or by immer-sing it, and byV wrapping it in moist cloths, in'order to soften the fibre, and enable it to conform to the position it is to occupy in the warp without cracking or breaking.

The continuous warp of the material described renders the fabric moresupple, and at the same time much firmer and stronger than the India matting, and more nearly to resemble carpetings; and, besides, the fabric my be cut off in any desired lengths, and cannot be pulled apart lay-stretching it to the door, as is the case with the India matting,". in which the warp is iirlengtlis or pieces, which lap by each other or protrude upon one side .of the fabric.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The method herein described ofpreparing and assortingstraw for weft of, and weaving the same into a fabric.

2. I claim the woven fabric herein described, composed of a weft of straw, prepared, sorted, woven, and finished, as set forth; t i y 3. I claim the mode herein Idescribed of forming,r the selvedge of a woven fabric, by securing the ends cf the weft by one or more rowsl or courses of machine-stitching, .as set forth.

` ISAAC LINDSLEY.

Witnesses:

ISAAC A. BROWNELL, M. E. LrNDsLEr. 

